#is that he is an extremely emotionally driven impulsive person in a way that's obvious to everyone but him because he struggles to identify

[caspersscareschool]

I'm going to make a dumb pointless post ok i hate in the movie that they decided suddenly that donnie haaaaates hugs and physical contact no matter what and presented this like it's always been a fact of his character when in fact in the show he sought out being squished to an abnormal degree including typically unfavorable scenerios like being on a crowded subway or crushed under a large dog or compressed in a giant bird pouch which leo Specifically knew he would enjoy enough to forgive her for calling him a slur . and would kill anyone for a hug

[emp-t-man]

how do you feel about the minffel hugs?? They’re some of my favorite moments in the entire podcast. 1. When he comes back from the USS horrible unending nightmare and 2. When he gets back from his meeting with the Dear Listeners

OHHHH I THINK ABOUT THESE SO OFTEN

eiffel and minkowski’s hugs make up two thirds of every canon hug in the podcast. the only other time positive physical contact occurs is when lovelace hugs eiffel shortly after his breakthrough from the neuro inhibitor (unless you count fourier and lambert’s hug that took place in change of mind). both of these are so meaningful in their own way so i’m gonna talk about them separately because. my god. the parallels.

the first time eiffel and minkowski hugged. broke me. it was the first physical display of affection used in the entire show, and involving minkowski. renée is very clearly not an affectionate person, and it’s made obvious through the awkwardness involved after she lets go. that hug was one hundred percent a spur of the moment, impulsive, heart-driven decision. she thought he was dead, and she personally blamed herself for his death, and so when she finally sees him again without the intrusion of other eyes that expect her to be the strong, stoic commander that she often needed to be, she doesn’t know what else to do. she grabs him, pulls him in, and she cries. both minkowski and eiffel are notorious for failing to communicate their feelings verbally, and so this is her way of telling him i missed you. life without you here was awful for everyone and when i realized i may never see you again it broke me. it’s an extremely emotionally vulnerable moment for her, perhaps the most vulnerable she lets herself be for the rest of the podcast.

now the second one. the second one is so much worse. hugging is something that seems like something much more natural to eiffel. he’s never been shy about his opinions of people, positive or negative, and now that he knows minkowski considers them close enough to hug, hugging her is the first thing he does once he sees her again. he’s the one who initiates the hug, and he’s under the assumption that it’ll be a sweet, emotional reunion just like last time. she’s the first voice he hears, and the first face he sees once he gets back, and he’s completely put at ease. he feels safe with her. but this time, minkowski doesn’t hug back. not because she doesn’t want to, but because it isn’t her. eiffel is most likely too relieved just to be back to think too much of it, but it’s revealed by jacobi that the crew is at least semi conscious of their actions while being controlled by pryce, so even though minkowski would be happy he’s home, and would love nothing more than to hug him, in that moment she’s probably screaming for him to get out, to do anything else. the last embrace they share, the last real moment of intimacy between the two, is soiled, and minkowski will never be able to make it up to him because eiffel isn’t eiffel after the finale anymore, either.

[maxisgonnanotdotax]

A character analysis;

WHY MIACHEL FROM THE GOOD PLACE IS AUTISTIC-CODED! Written by person who very likely is on the autism spectrum and is currently on the waiting list for a diagnosis of autism!

( MAJOR SPOILER WARNING)

From the very first season of the Good Place episode one (Everything Is Fine), we are introduced to Eleanor Shellstrop, a very much dead person sent to ‘the good place’ as we the audience gradually watch the episode further we realise that she, Eleanor, was not a good person, Miachel introduces her to the Good Place, clarifying that she deserves to be here, and he goes very explicitly into detail of the things she did on earth without showing or displaying any signs of slowing down for her to process this information, this continues on throughout the series, and can often be approached at times in which he is being pretentious about the fact Eleanor is in the bad place, but it’s overall seemingly false, Micheal represents this specific trait for the entirety of the season, he doesn’t attempt at trying to help others process information better but focuses on getting the message out there and directly assert the message that he wants to bring out.

This continues, emphasising my point even further that this is relevant to autistic traits, from the first season he goes in extremely explicit detail, because what? He’s torturing them? But he does it FAR LATER ON AS WELL, EVEN WHEN HE ISN’T, therefore this is internalised behaviour of his, which is very relevant to having autism-coded traits.

Miachel elaborates on her cause of death, acknowledging many of the details given to him to tell her, may I add Miachel is VERY descriptive within the curriculums of his vocabulary, we see this in a variety of other episodes, gradually we the audience begin to realise that Miachel is a demon and Eleanor is in the bad place (Tahani,Jason- including Chidi are also introduced) Miachel clearly begins to form a bond with the four, projecting his insecurities on the fact he had to reboot the experiment so many times as Eleanor found out she was in the bad place, he wants the best for them and is highly-empathetic and very willing to do ANYTHING for them. He is very self unaware of his obliviousness towards his impulsivity when it comes to protecting them, and focuses on the rest of the group. This is literally a huge fucking trait! this occurs in a variety of other episodes where Miachel is willing to risk anything for the four even though he is very obviously a demon, he does not experience the same emotions that other demons have and lack which are abilities of being able to be emphatic and be HIGHLY emotionally driven, he also collects a variety of items in his office (likely these items represent his special interest for humanly constructed items) , a whole pot of paper-clips. he’s clearly very interested in learning about humans even to the extent of mimicking their body language/social features to fit in with them, (he shows clear indications of having difficulty with social skills as he is a demon and has adapted to the environment of low empathy and is finally being introduced to ways of displaying his empathy by the Cockroaches (aka the crew, Tahani, Jason, and Eleanor) being able to finally unmask certain traits of his and being able to talk about his interests- BECAUSE HE FEELS COMFORTABLE AROUND THEM!

In the scene where he admits the situation of what position he should be in, is helpless, he is truthful to Eleanor about his feelings around the situation and doesn’t bother to try to mask because he clearly feels comfortable around her. He clearly masks his other attributes when he’s with his boss, Shawn, and feels as though he can never portray his emotions to him, showing he is having struggles with social cues, (meaning he has difficulty with fitting in with the rest of the demons) INCLUDING HUMANS he has BOTH difficulties within the social cues of both areas, very obvious indications of a character who is very obviously autism-coded, may I add in the paper-clip scene Eleanor has to practically DRAG Michael away from the paper clips to prevent him from being so strongly-absorbed in them, HE���S SO AUTISM CODED ITS INSANE.

Another autism trait may I add, is how insecure this demon/human is, whenever he is having difficulties expressing his emotions (ANOTHER AUTISM TRAIT?!) he expresses it through saying in *very*explicit ways of what he is to do with himself.

Michael also has a VERY black and white thinking in the introduction of the show, and it later on shows that he still in some form has this way of thinking, he has to learn philosophy (as a demon) from Chidi to better himself in the group and relate himself more to the Cockroaches, to literally understand humans emotions better, and he gets so strongly absorbed in this topic that he confronts THE FUCKING COURT OF EARTH THAT CONSISTS OF SUPER-NATURAL ENTITIES TO HELP HIS *HUMAN* FRIENDS GET IN THE GOOD PLACE?! *thats* how interested he is and appreciative he is of the nature of humans, he’s the most knowledgable super-natural entity of human nature in the entire universe, second (?) in comparison to all the Janets there are. He shows many traits of being overly emotionally intelligent when it comes to his friends, completely putting himself in danger for the crew when the crew are trying to find out ways to go to the court, (to help them go to the good place!)

He risks getting ‘retired’ a process which involves his molecules being torn apart, very similar to having your molecules being torn when entering a black hole- practically getting spaghettified- anyway that’s not the point, I’m getting off topic. Micheal risks *this* for humans he has a very strong emotional bond for, and he is COMPLETELY IRRITATED by anything that alters his focus on the crew, he has a special interest on them at this extent.

He refuses to listen to his ex co-workers establishing a fine line of what he thinks of them, whilst also trying to understand emotions better.

He communicates them in many what would be considered *human* ways, he mimics their behaviours, but still shows difficulty with understanding them, STILL, he tries to, because he is trying to desperately understand humans and emotions.

He also very routinely dresses in the same clothes- even in the scene where he was meant to terrorise Eleanor with tiger-themed colours he wore a bow tie, he wears bow ties nearly in all the seasons and episodes (usually the introduction) but he wears them so often and is hurt when Janet acknowledges that she hates them, may I add, he also eats frozen yoghurt very routinely- and also devoted to trying to help his friends, this gradually forms into more of an established routine within the show. (he also recognises inconsistencies when there is no established routine- autism trait)

In another scene (in around season 3?) Michael begins to display a new side of him to the crew, he literally isolates himself and shuts down when he’s overwhelmed and goes non-verbal within communication, this is a very common way in which autistics process emotions when overwhelmed, he makes references to shows (which humans have created) to express his feelings, because he clearly has difficulty with processing his emotions- (autism trait) these are genuinely all autistic traits- which Michael CLEARLY has, Eleanor who is also aware of this, comforts him in a way that would be very different to how other humans are comforted by letting him process the emotions he has, by not overwhelming him with a long rant of advice and support but being very patient and quiet so he doesn’t isolate himself further and overwhelm himself by processing what Eleanor is saying; she’s observant of him and tries to do the best for him as well; she’s aware he isn’t like the others at all and uses different mechanisms to comfort him, Michael is autistic-coded. cased closed.

Michael can also be inappropriately honest in many scenarios when unmasking his traits, he doesn’t mean to be rude, but he’s trying to show how he doesn’t feel comfortable in said scenarios and is comfortable in the environment of the crew. He’s notorious for this, and he’s in so many memes when he confronts his worries it’s beyond satirical how autistic-coded he is.

He also has sensory issues, you may be asking ‘in what episode/ season?’ But he talks about texture ALOT to the point where it’s acknowledged in EVERY SEASON and goes highly in depth when mentioning torture-instruments, and acknowledges details that anyone would find difficult to detect, he talks about brightness, colourful items, and emphasises on types of textures which he emphasises that he HEAVILY dislikes, Michael is autistic, and I will die on that hill.

another thing is; people can find it confusing differentiating whether he is autistic within demon curriculums/social cues, or is he autistic as a human because he is a human later on and also finds it difficult to communicate to his demon co-workers (autism codeeeddddd)

To that I say; no, he’s autistic in both areas, in the last scenes of the show (spoilers) as I said he becomes/decides to become a human, he is shown to be comforting one of his friends when they’re sad, he’s silent and he drapes his hand around their shoulder in an awkward position, while glancing down at the floor, he finds it difficult to comfort people and uses philosophical studies/ human nature studies to try and understand/grasp emotions more, this is also evident in other seasons and Ill link all my sources and quotes in a different post conjoining this one.

Thank you for reading my character analysis!

Gray

__________________________

photo references:

He’s just like me frfr 😩

[ayamturd]

trapped│bench trio hc

warnings: mentions of imprisonment, exhaustion, ranboo lore, angst

prompt: (requested) “can i request a platonic!bench trio x teen!reader (individually) where they find out you got trapped in the prison with dream?”

pairings: in-game platonic! tubbo, tommyinnit, ranboo

a/n: i tried to experiment with writing more dialogue for this hc, pls feel free to always give feedback!

wc: (1.6k) - m.list

tubbo - 

“No.”

“Tubbo, I’m so sorry but i-”

“You’re wrong,” Tubbo cuts Sam off, shaking his head widely in refusal to the news. He slowly backs away as Sam tries to approach him. “They’re not- no. They can’t be, Sam, there must be some mistake.”

Sam is at a loss, his concern for the boy present, and attempts to raise his hands cautiously out with soft eyes; Tubbo is in panic, and he needs him to calm down.

“Tubbo…”

“I just saw them yesterday, surely-”

“Tubbo, please.”

Tubbo would refuse to accept that fact for what it was

can’t stand to look at the prison, the sight of it haunting him

will ignore the topic altogether and try to change the conversation if someone mentioned you

if they were persistent and didn’t pick up on the fact that he didn’t want to think about it, he’d snap

people always assume that Tubbo is a happy, emotionally driven person; while they’re not completely wrong, he’s extremely closed off to his trauma and knows how to put up a convincing front

that being said, the idea of you trapped with someone who is at the core of his past pain is unsettling to him

he’s trying but failing to pretend like everything’s okay, because everything’s not okay and he feels helpless to the idea that he might be at fault for it all again

make no mistake, he does care for you, but the fact that he cares so much makes it where he doesn’t want to believe something so awful can be true

Ranboo will quickly pick up on what he’s trying to do, and will go along with it for his sake; everyone deals with their trauma and hard news differently, Tubbo especially

Tommy, however, is too upset to notice and reacts impulsively to Tubbo’s reaction

they both clash: Tubbo refusing to address what happen, and Tommy emotionally sensitive when believing Tubbo doesn’t care

his anxieties would build up until one day he just falls apart

“Tubbo?”

They had been walking and collecting more material for their most recent build when Tubbo stopped, Ranboo pausing once realizing he had fallen behind. 

“Tubbo, what’s wrong?” Following his line of sight, Ranboo sighed once seeing your house; despite looking untouched in the time you’ve been gone, something just felt off when knowing you weren’t there. Ranboo patted his shoulder gently before tugging him away.

“Let’s go, man. They’re probably out right now.” There was a beat of silence, and Tubbo eventually responded in a weak voice. 

“No.” Ranboo picked up on the hostility in his tone and spoke with caution to his obvious upset.

“...Tubbo?”

“They’re gone,” Tubbo croaked, tears leaking from the corner of his eyes as he bit his lip roughly. Ranboo tried to console him, but it didn’t help stop the pain. “They’re trapped and I- I just can’t…”

Ranboo was at a loss for words, for Tubbo couldn’t hold it in any longer. 

he misses you, and doesn’t want to accept that there’s a reason he should miss you

tommy - 

“You’re lying.” Ranboo glanced down, his fingers fidgeting together harshly as he struggled to come to terms with the news himself.

“I’m not,” he mumbled, his voice weak in comparison to Tommy’s usual blunt tone. “I’m sorry but it’s the truth.”

Tommy’s breathing hitched from Ranboo’s words, the truth quite evident in his wavering tone and the fact that this was no joking manner. 

Eyes wide, Tommy was frozen to the truth and fear that slowly washed over him, life practically spitting in his face for how cruel the world could truly be to those young on the smp. 

“I know this is really hard to process but we have to be hopeful that everything will turn out okay-” With a shove to Ranboo’s outreached hand, Tommy turned and bolted away, his emotions running high and the situation too painful to admit. There was no ‘okay’ in this reality, you were stuck with Dream and they couldn’t do anything about it. 

Tommy was angry to say the least

he channeled his fear into his drive, but knowing you were trapped with the manic that broke him down and manipulated him for weeks on end completely offset his focus

he didn’t want sympathy, he wanted to get you out of the damn prison

while he’s usually caring to how others may feel and adjust his attitude to them, he couldn’t care much besides the amount of anger he manifested

he’d snap at anyone that tried to console him, yell at others that seemed like they showed no real concern over your absence, and most of all, he’d blame those that tried to downplay the situation

Sam was the center of his rage; Tommy couldn’t stand the thought that Sam sat there and possibly did nothing to prevent your current state

Tommy would close himself off and push everyone away; it felt wrong to act like nothing was wrong when you weren’t there

he can’t stand the idea that everyone’s okay when you’re not, and it follows him to the point where he wishes he was in your place instead 

“Tommy.” Puffy’s stern voice startled him, and he flinched with tired eyes from his spot above on the small hill. 

“You shouldn’t torture yourself like this.” 

Tommy clenched his jaw from her words, her concern valid but useless to his main reason standing watch over the prison. With a shake to his head, he tried to wave her off. 

“I’m not,” he mumbled, “I need to be here.” With a sigh, Puffy crouched down next to him and moved his chin towards her, eyebrows furrowed as she took in his tired eyes and the bags that hung beneath them. He was pushing himself too much. 

“But you don’t, Tommy. You shouldn’t be the one to burden yourself like this.” Trembling lips and narrowed eyes, Tommy broke down. Puffy was quick to grab hold of him, trying to steady his distraught state when he lost his footing. 

“Why couldn’t it have been me?” he cried, his eyes squeezed shut as he dug his head deeper into Puffy’s arms. “Why isn’t it me?”

Puffy couldn’t do anything but squeeze the boy tighter. 

Tommy was a force to be reckoned with when things involve his friends, and the fact that he couldn’t help you essentially tore him to bits

ranboo - 

“Are you alright, Ranboo?” 

Ranboo looks ahead, but avoids Sam’s wavering eyes as indelicately as he can. He doesn’t want to show his real emotions to the news; he doesn’t want Sam to feel worse for the situation as is. 

“Y-yeah, yeah, I’ll be alright. Mhm.” Nodding stiffly, Ranboo’s voice pitches higher than what it usually is, but he pretends it doesn’t faze him while rubbing his hands anxiously together. 

His head snaps up when Sam speaks, his ears twitching once recognizing the painful guilt in the creeper hybrid’s voice. 

“I’m sorry, I’m really sorry I let this happen.”

“It’s okay, Sam. I don’t blame you.”

While Ranboo chose not to look directly at Sam, he emphasized his point a final time, his thoughts lost in thought of the real guilty party.

“I don’t blame you at all.”

oh Ranboo

he would be concerned for other’s reactions to the news, first and foremost

he’s the type of person to put people above his own needs, he puts other’s take on the news before his own

will comfort Tubbo to the best of his abilities by distracting him

though Tommy tries to push everyone away, Ranboo will find ways to help, whether that be letting him yell his heart out when he’s upset or putting a blanket over him when he passes out after watching the prison overnight

you were one of the few people that understood his main values and always treated him well; he’s close to you, and would have probably told you about Dream’s internal torment over him

because of this, knowing that you were trapped with Dream made him feel like he had some involvement with it, that he’s at fault somehow

he puts others before him because he feels guilty, like he needs to redeem others for something he possibly did

no one knows of your status, of how you’re doing in there alone with Dream, but he fears the worst and rattles himself down to the bone

when he’s with Tubbo, he’s able to play along and put up a front too: pretend nothing is wrong and not be faulted for it

but when he’s alone, he’s spiraling and has no one there to wake him up

“I let this happen.” Ranboo was pacing, his voice echoing in the dimly light room while his thoughts rang loudly in his head. He could stand still, for he was too anxious and unnerved by the recent events.

“I’m the reason, I’m the reason they’re trapped. I did this.” 

Lifting his hands to his head, Ranboo began to pull at his hair, pushing pressure to the stress he had created upon himself. Before he could demean himself further, however, another voice spoke up. One familiar and one thought gone.

“You’re right Ranboo.”

Pausing, Ranboo froze in horror to Dream’s taunting statement. He pushed his hands against his ears, desperate for the voice to go away.

“No…”

“You did this to them, and they’re stuck with me now.”

“N⍜”

“Can you hear their screams?”

“⌇⏁⍜⌿ ⟟⏁.”

“They’re mine to play with. Because of you.”

“⏚⟒☊⏃⎍⌇⟒ ⍜⎎ ⋔⟒. ⟟⏁'⌇ ⋔⊬ ⎎⏃⎍⌰⏁, ⟟⏁'⌇ ⋔⊬ ⎎⏃⎍⌰⏁, ⟟⏁'⌇ ⋔⊬ ⎎⏃⎍⌰⏁ ⟟⏁'⌇ ⋔⊬ ⎎⏃⎍⌰⏁-”

people are more important than any goal or belief, and Ranboo stands by this when he vows to end Dream himself

[sofialeepleasepunchme]

fantasy high zodiac hypothesis let’s go (sun signs)

KRISTEN: libra for sure. ruled by venus, hates confrontation and often takes a neutral or passive stance in arguments, good at sweet talking and getting herself out of bad situations (see: every conversation with kalina), concerned with what is “right” or “good” as implied by her many crisis’ of faith. somewhat of a therapist friend, especially during freshman year.

FIG: scorpio!!! water sign disguised under the aesthetics of a fire sign. extremely emotional and moody, turns to violence when hurt, deeply loyal to her friends, extroverted and friendly but hates showing vulnerability, artistic and dreamy and has an innate magnetism to her personality (musician/poet). prefers to be independent and has lots of ambitions and goals.

RIZ: virgo. mom friend energy!! logical, practical, levelheaded, all the synonyms. loves investigation and is good at it. even in highly stressful and emotional situations, he acts with his brain instead of his heart. while he comes off as somewhat oblivious, he’s actually very good at introspection and is extremely self aware. to counter this, very self critical.

ADAINE: gemini energy 100%. intellectually driven like riz, quick witted and extremely good at cutting people down with her words (see: aelwyn, biz, her dad, kalvaxus maybe) not afraid to be brutally honest. pretends to be very cool and levelheaded but is actually one of the most chaotic and impulsive people in the group. somewhat of a pretentious little bitch.

FABIAN: textbook leo. so cliche that i considered several other options because it’s such an obvious take. deeply concerned with not only his physical appearance but how people perceive him as a whole. a lot of his personality is a performance. theatrical as fuck! he dances with silks!! in tandem with his dueling sword, and that’s fruity as hell. extroverted and sunshiny, loves parties, shows affection through public acts (giving the bad kids gifts, running his dads ship into a building for riz, bardic inspiration) and has an affinity for drama and gossip!!

GORGUG: pisces king! a little emotionally repressed in ways that can be frustrating (see: fight with zelda), gentle and soft personality, has an artistic side both in the sig figs and in his love for tech and making things, VERY generous and forgiving. his intelligence mainly comes from intuition rather than book knowledge. impressionable and easy to manipulate (aided by his 8 int, but still). gets along very well with fig, aka water sign to water sign communication.

[randomwankystuff]

Why I Love Horace Slughorn

I didn’t think much of Slughorn when I first read Harry Potter, but the older I get, the more I love him. I love that he’s such a realistically irritating character. He’s superficial and status-driven. He picks favorites and pampers them excessively. He tends to use people to further his own ego. He has an obvious cowardly streak. Because of these traits, he’s made horrible mistakes, most notably telling Tom Riddle about horcruxes.

But Slughorn also genuinely cares. He’s a good teacher. He’s opportunistic, but never at the expense of others. He rejects the offer to join the Death Eaters time and time again. He picks favorites, but still is a decent person to all his students, even muggleborns and mixed-breeds. He collects noteworthy students like Lily, but he also treasures them and loves them. (The movie scene about the fish is one of my favorites from the entire series and I accept it 100% as canon.) Slughorn has a lot of love in his heart, and an equal amount of regret and loss. He’s a sad old man trying to hide his guilt and loneliness behind an elitist lifestyle.

Early Slughorn seems to very much believe in the idea of “no harm, no foul.” He can tentatively live with himself so long as he doesn’t do anything that causes demonstrated harm to others. He can choose favorites and give them preferential treatment, so long as he’s still kind and reasonable to other students. He can use Aragog’s death to acquire acromantula venom, so long as he also does his best to genuinely support Hagrid in his time of grief. He can alter his memories and hide his mistakes, so long as Voldemort is gone and the repercussions of his mistakes are gone with him.

But when Voldemort returns, Slughorn’s fragile peace is shattered. Slughorn can’t continue to live his pampered life without hurting the people he loves. In the past, it has usually been enough to hide from conflict, avoid doing evil. But now, running from evil is not enough. Running from evil means complicity, and that is unacceptable. Slughorn cannot continue to do the bare minimum, because he will not be able to live with that guilt. He has to be better, he has to do better, even if it means sacrifices. And the first big sacrifice is giving up the horcrux memory.

You can tell that from the moment he has this realization and gives Harry the real memory, he has fundamentally changed. From that moment on, Slughorn is a Good man.

To me, Slughorn is one of the most realistic characters in the series. He actually reminds me so much of my Asian parents. Practical to a fault, likes to avoid conflict. Definitely uses their kids for status and ego boosting, and that’s certainly problematic, but don’t you dare accuse them of not truly loving and caring for their kids. The type of people who are probably a bit emotionally toxic, but would without a hesitation die for you.

Not only is Slughorn’s character a realistic depiction of mentor/parent relationships, but it also is one of the best examples of the virtues of Slytherin house. Slughorn shows that ambition, cunning, and self-preservation are not inherently wrong. The problem is when those traits are taken to the extreme, and are not constrained by kindness, fairness, and good judgment. There are numerous students, Lily included, who genuinely appreciate all that Slughorn has done to help them and their careers. Slughorn is a genuinely good teacher and person. Slughorn shows that good Slytherins do not need to hide their ambition, cunning, and self-preservation. They simply must learn to control their most selfish impulses, and use their traits to lift people up, not bring them down.

I don’t think Slughorn gets enough appreciation for his actions in Deathly Hallows. Slughorn is a master of his craft and a man with both a proclivity for and experience with escape. He could have easily left the country and sought employment elsewhere. Dumbledore is dead, and Slughorn has only been teaching at Hogwarts for a single year, so he has no real reason to stay committed to the school. And yet, he does. He stays for an entire year to protect students from the Death Eaters.

And at the Battle of Hogwarts, he seems to have run away, but actually left to get reinforcements. He uses his Slytherin cunning and networking skills to find more allies for the war. And then he fights. He fights for a bunch of students he barely knows. He fights for a blood purity issue that would never negatively impact him.

This is a man who turned himself into an armchair to avoid even speaking to Dumbledore. This is a man who altered his memories and hid from his guilt for decades. Even in the movies, it’s shown just how terrified Slughorn is - while the other professors show resolve, determination, or even humor, Slughorn alone seems itching to flee. But this absolute coward of a man then goes on to fight an entire war. This absolute coward of a man directly duels Lord f*cking Voldemort. It’s beautiful. It’s one of the greatest displays of courage in the entire series.

I like to think of Slughorn looking his formerly prized student in the eye during their duel. I like to think that he’s physically terrified and shaking, but emotionally, he’s at peace. This is his chance to right his every wrong. He can fix his mistake with Tom Riddle. He can protect the vulnerable students he didn’t pay enough attention to before. He can let go of his vanity and superficiality and finally focus on a fight that matters. He can redeem himself from his previous cowardice and inaction. I like to think that Slughorn was aware he was likely going to die, but he didn’t care. Because if he dies, he’s going to heaven finally freed of all his guilt and regrets, knowing that he was the best possible version of himself he could ever be. He’s willing to die, knowing that this is the only way he’ll be able to live with himself.

[fireinmywoods]

the heart of the matter (is Leonard McCoy)

Followers...friends. I come to you today, hat in hand, to ask for your support in a certain fandom matter, a trifling concern of little real consequence which nevertheless has been driving me absolutely cross-eyed bonkers for some years now.

Simply put: can we please all agree that Bones is the heart of the Enterprise???

In AOS, I mean. I’m not aware of any debate over this when it comes to TOS, where the roles of the triumvirate have always been explicit, though there are a few different ways to identify them:

Spock = logos = superego = head

Bones = pathos = id = heart

Kirk = ethos = ego = soul

So clear! So clean! So universally accepted by Trek fandom at large!

Oh, but things get murkier in AOS, and there are plenty of posts floating around which suggest that it’s Kirk, not McCoy, who serves as the heart in the Kelvin timeline. Even the writers of the first two AOS films have outright stated that their interpretation of the triumvirate had the original roles switched, with Kirk as the highly emotional one and McCoy as the arbiter between Kirk’s passion and Spock’s logic. It’s true that this technically counts as a Word of God pronouncement by the actual creators of 2/3 of the series thus far, which some would argue renders it canon. However, it’s equally true that those same creators also felt that Kirk was a fuckboi and that Benedict Cumberbatch wonderfully embodied their vision for Khan Noonien Singh, so honestly, who gives a hot hollerin’ fuck what those dingdongs think. This seems as justified a time as any to invoke Death of the Author, and in fact, it’s my firm belief that despite the writers’ intentions, Star Trek and Into Darkness both support the original triumvirate breakdown.

Under the cut you’ll find a long-winded and self-indulgent ~*~character analysis~*~ of the Kelvin-timeline incarnations of Jim Kirk and Leonard “Bones” McCoy, reviewing why Leonard is still unmistakably the heart, unpacking what the hell Jim’s deal is, and finally taking a look at some key examples from canon, because ya girl believes in showing her work.

Let’s get down to business.

[A quick warning, as this is starting to spread beyond my own followers: if you don’t like McKirk as a romantic pairing, you ain’t gonna like part IV, so I’d bow out before then or just take your leave now.]

i. Leonard

Independent of Jim’s characterization, it should be blindingly obvious that Leonard is the heart. He’s by far the most nakedly emotional of our seven core crew members, a trait we see writ large and small throughout the films. He’s reactive; he’s passionate; he’s humane. He cares, first and foremost.

Not about Starfleet, of course. Leonard doesn’t give a damn about playing the game or advancing his career, or even really about the Enterprise’s mission - he has no desire to explore strange new worlds, he’ll pass on seeking out new life and new civilizations, and he spends half his time trying to convince everyone else that boldly going where no man has gone before is a great way to die horribly. Fuck exploration, fuck space, and fuck the Federation while we’re at it. Leonard is perhaps the most improbable of the Enterprise’s senior officers for the simple reason that he seems to resent everything about the job.

Well. Almost everything.

See, what Leonard cares about is people. He cares about their lives, about their stories, about their hopes and dreams, about their suffering. That’s why he entered and has stayed in an extremely taxing caring profession, and it’s why he’s still on the Enterprise despite his incessant bitching about everything they do. He wouldn’t trust anyone else to take care of the crew he’s become so attached to, and he finds fulfillment in helping the people they encounter out there in the nightmare of space.

In every timeline, Leonard McCoy defines himself by what he can do for others: the pain he can ameliorate, the wounds he can heal, the diseases he can cure, the small amounts of good he can bring to a galaxy filled with so much absolute horseshit. Unlike most of his colleagues, he’s not motivated by curiosity or an adventurer’s spirit or a burning desire to make sense of the universe. (Fuck the universe, too, as a matter of fact.) Instead, he’s driven by the incredible depths of his compassion and empathy and concern for the people he serves alongside and those they meet along the way.

Sure sounds like the heart to me.

ii. Jim

I actually totally get why some people characterize Kelvin-timeline Jim as the heart. He’s quite literally a different man than the original timeline’s Kirk, and he definitely has more of the pathos qualities to him. Early on, he’s a total spitfire, fierce and hot-blooded, quick to anger and other sharp-edged emotions we’re not used to associating with James T. Kirk. Even as he grows into himself and leaves some of those traits behind, he remains spontaneous, passionate, protective, and self-sacrificing - easy enough to mistake for the heart if you squint.

But let’s not confuse having a heart for being the heart. Sure, Jim is more openly emotional and reactive than his TOS counterpart, but there’s still a marked difference between the way he and Leonard express and act on their emotions.

AOS Jim definitely has a lot of feelings - big ones - but at the end of the day, he’s not driven by his heart. He’s driven by his gut.

Whenever there’s trouble, Jim makes a beeline right for the center of it. He’s impulsive as hell, rarely pausing to think past his first instinct, because he just wants to be doing something, no matter the odds, no matter what it costs him. He explicitly calls himself out on this in ST:ID when arguing with Spock: “I have no idea what I’m supposed to do. I only know what I can do.” He doesn’t have the patience or the constitution to sit and debate all the options, either internally or with his crew. If there’s a path forward from where he is, even a bad one, Jim’s gonna take it.

[Sidebar: One could make the case that the roots of Jim’s instinct to act reach back to his childhood traumas - canonically ignored abuse and neglect on the one hand, and the Tarsus IV famine and massacre on the other - but that’s a whole post on its own and we ain’t got all day here.]

Jim can’t not act, and while that gets him into a lot of trouble, it also saves lives. Sulu probably appreciated that Jim’s gut drove him to leap off Nero’s drilling platform without a moment’s hesitation after a man he’d only just met. He may have been a real shithead about it, but Jim’s impassioned insistence on going after the Narada and not wasting time on the possibility of a better option was key to saving Pike and Earth itself. And I don’t know why Spock was so surprised that Jim intervened to save him on Nibiru, considering that the reason they were there in the first place was because Jim couldn’t sit back and watch the Nibirans die when there was something his crew could do to help them, even if it meant risking a violation of the Prime Directive.

Jim is a good man with a big heart, and he cares about people, absolutely. But he cares most of all about Doing The Right Thing - which in the heat of the moment often translates to Doing Something, Anything, Hold My Beer.

iii. heart vs. gut (i.e., time for some receipts)

I think one of the main reasons Leonard and Jim’s characterizations get confused is because they both tend to act on instinct, only lightly informed by higher reasoning. However, I’d argue that their motivations and the nature of those actions are super distinct, and those distinctions remain relatively consistent throughout all three films. (And y’all know I really mean this shit if I’m out here calling ST:ID consistent.)

Jim is a big picture guy, figuratively and often literally heaving himself full-body into the mix of whatever problem the crew has encountered for lack of any better alternative. That energy propels the plots of all three films: the chaotic path he carves through the events of Star Trek and ST:ID, and the slightly calmer but still undeniably bananas course he charts for himself and his crew in the second half of Beyond.

As the heart, Leonard operates on a more micro level. His concern invariably lies with the individual people caught up in those grand events Captain Chaos is busy dragging them all through. While Jim’s zooming around flipping plot switches, Leonard can always be counted on to bring it back to the personal.

We frequently see this juxtaposed right there on film. Think of that slow pan through medbay in the first movie after the Narada’s ambush and the destruction of Vulcan: while Jim is stewing over what to do about the Big Bad, Leonard has stepped into the CMO role without fuss or fanfare to care for the wounded crew and traumatized survivors.

Or jump ahead to Beyond: during Krall’s attack on the Enterprise, there’s a gorgeous cinematic shot of Jim sprinting down the corridor with two crew members to take on the invaders - and then we cut to Leonard moving slowly through those same ghastly red-lit corridors, searching for casualties in need of help, visibly affected by what his scanner is telling him about the downed crewman he tries to save.

Actually, Beyond as a whole does terrific justice to each of their roles. (Perhaps because it was not written by dingdongs.) The first act finds Jim flailing around for a sense of purpose and forward momentum - an understandable consequence of a gut-driven character having stalled out for too long - and he ultimately gets his mojo back by spending the rest of the film careening through one insane seat-of-his-pants ploy after another. Meanwhile, in the quieter moments between all the mayhem, Leonard serves as the empathetic sounding board for both Jim and Spock as they struggle with deep emotionally charged secrets and Big Life Questions, helping them untangle their feelings and reminding them of the emotional attachments which are ultimately key to their respective decisions to stay on the Enterprise.

More examples, you say? Don’t mind if I do!

Star Trek

GUT: Jim hurtles around the Narada, improvising almost every step of the way and paying the price for his and Spock’s scheme in bodily harm, and ultimately succeeds in rescuing Pike. HEART: Leonard calls out for Jim as he runs into the transporter room, overwhelmed with relief that he’s made it back, and takes Chris Pike’s weight literally and figuratively onto his own shoulders to begin healing him while Jim runs back off to the center of the action.

Star Trek: Into Darkness

GUT: Jim argues with Leonard, Spock, and Scotty in quick succession as he’s preparing to drag them all off to Qo’noS, immune to their attempts to reason with him because, unraveled as he is by grief and pain, he can only focus on his visceral drive to Do Something. HEART: Unlike the others, Leonard is upset not about the larger moral questions of whether it’s right to go after John Harrison or bring torpedoes aboard the ship, but about the fact that Jim himself is hurt and hurting and won’t accept help.

GUT: Jim makes a snap decision to sacrifice himself by hurling his body against the warp core to realign it and save his crew. HEART: Shellshocked by the emotional grenade of his best friend’s death, Leonard suddenly realizes, through the haze of his own numbness and upswelling grief, that he might still be able to do something for this lonely radiation-ravaged body he’s been brought and the life it represents.

Star Trek Beyond

GUT: At the tail end of an improvised plan to out-maneuver Kalara, Jim quite literally shoots first and asks questions later, igniting a fuel tank and setting off an explosive series of events which he and Chekov just barely escape. HEART: The next time we see Leonard, Spock is opening up to him about Ambassador Spock’s death and his own plan to leave Starfleet for New Vulcan - and while he’s empathetic toward Spock (I can’t imagine what that must feel like), Leonard’s thoughts go immediately to the emotional impact of Spock’s plan on the other people he’s closest with. (I can see how that would upset [Nyota]. / I can tell you, [Jim]’s not gonna like that.)

GUT: Jim frantically strains to reach the final switch in the life support hub, believing that he’s going to die either way since the vent has already opened, but spurred on by the knowledge that his ability to move that switch is the only thing standing between Yorktown and annihilation. HEART: Knowing exactly what’s at stake, with the fate of the station and millions of lives hanging in the balance, Leonard’s greatest concern is that Jim won’t make it out in time.

iv. never bet against the heart

Let’s wrap this up with a deep dive on one of the absolute best examples of Leonard as the heart: his decision to sneak Jim onto the Enterprise in the first movie.

As relentlessly as I drag him for the, you know, poisoning and kidnapping aspects of that whole deal, there’s no denying that it is a god-tier heart move. Is it logical? Absolutely not. Is it really the right thing to do for either himself or Jim, as far as he knows at the time? Nope. It’s 100% the wrong choice for his own job security, reputation, and relationships with his fellow crew, and it’s almost guaranteed to get Jim into even worse trouble. Leonard is a smart dude who must understand that this course of action will likely end up coming back on them both in a real bad way. For someone who argues loudly and often in defense of self-preservation, this is a shockingly bad idea.

But none of that matters, because Jim shakes his hand and tells him to be safe with that horrible empty-eyed smile, and it gets him right in the heart, one-two-three.

One: sympathy, worry, and affection for Jim - his best friend, his wild and troublesome stray, his only family.

Two: guilt over adding onto Jim’s pain, and the instinctive urge to fix whatever‘s hurting him.

Three: fear of heading out into the unknown by himself, the agonizing uncertainty of not knowing what’s coming, craving for the security and reassurance Jim’s presence would give him.

“Dammit,” Leonard says, as his heart wins out over his brain. He knows this is a garbage plan, and he doesn’t care. His heart chooses Jim. That’s all that matters.

So he goes back for Jim, and to his own surprise it turns out that this Very Bad Idea was actually a Very Good Idea because Jim’s impulsive instincts end up saving Earth, and Leonard’s not in the habit of fixing what ain’t broke so he figures he may as well keep on chasing Jim’s crazy ass around the galaxy for a while, through jungles and off cliffs and into the goddamn afterlife when need be, until finally one day Jim’s gut drives him right into Leonard’s arms and he suddenly realizes that this is what his heart was choosing all those years ago: Jim’s wide terrified eyes, Jim’s voice breaking over his name, Jim’s hand pressing hard against his chest, reaching out for what’s his.

But that’s another story.

[inessencedevided]

Once you're done with the entire show, could you maybe do sorting for all the characters? I usually know the house for each character, but I have literally no idea with The Untamed. WWX for example I can equally see him as a Gryffindor, Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff and my brain hurts trying to decide.

First of all: I'm so so sorry anon! This took ages to answer! I hope you're still out there to read this! I started answering ages ago and then trailed off because I had to think about it. So here goes:

Thank you so much for this opening! I LOVE sorting non-HP characters into Hogwarts houses!! And for some of these, I’ve already done so in my head ages ago :D

Disclaimer: I’m mostly going off live action canon here, but will make some comments about the novel from time to time.

Disclaimer 2: Obviously, these are extremely subjective. If anyone disagrees, I would love to hear your counter arguments! I love discussing these things!

Wei Wuxian

GRYFFINDOR!

I know you said you weren’t sure but in my book, he’s a textbook Gryffindor. I’m not saying he doesn’t have Hufflepuff or Raveclaw traits (his sense of justice and his “out of the box thinking” kinda genius come to mind), but those aren’t the main drive of his actions imo. WWX follows his confiction and he often does so without even considering a second option or a compromise, especially before his death. And he is not afraid of deviating from the law or societal expectations to do so. This alone could also make him a Slytherin. The reason I wouldn’t place him there is the way he acts very much in the open. He doesn’t try to bring about change by quietly working in the background. He openly calls people out on their bullshit, even when it is clearly to his disadvantage and might just come back to bite him in the ass. Imo, WWX is a brilliant example of how a gryffindor might be driven to doing some very questionable shit given the "right" circumstances.

Lan Wangji

Now, he’s a different story. I have a lot more problems sorting him, maybe because he is not our point of view character. And he's the reason why it took me so long to answer this ask. My conclusion might be controversial, so let me work up to it. Slytherin? His most slytherin trait, imo, is his determination and drive, which I think stems, among other things, from a desire to prove himself. However, I believe his main reasons for this were family loyalty and (somewhat headcanon territory) the rejection he must have felt at his parents absence. And I don't see him as cunning either, as that always carries a certain level of deceitful intent, even if it's not malicious. And deceitful? That's one thing lwj certainly isn't. So, Slytherin is not a good fit for him. Ravenclaw maybe? He is certainly very intelligent, but that intelligence is more due to his studious nature and his focus, imo. And wisdom and out-of-the-box-thinking are not traits I would associate him with, especially in his younger years. So gryffindor then? He is certainly brave in many ways. He is enduring and stubborn, both gryffindor traits. But he also someone who takes his time to arrive at decisions, unless he is under extreme emotional duress (losing his mother or the love of his live). His bravery, to me, seems to be deeply rooted in his deep deep devotion. He goes through extreme, long lasting pain for the few people he holds close to his heart. In the end it all comes down to his heart, his loyalties, his devotion. Ironically, even more so in the book than in cql. And that loyalty, that steadfastness, that devotion is extremely hufflepuff.

So here you go:

HUFFLEPUFF! (There is no yellow:/)

(And now I really wanna write that AU :D on first glance, lwj would make such an unusual hufflepuff, with his cold and aloof behaviour. I want to play with this idea now!)

Lan Xichen

HUFFLEPUFF!

Aaaahhh! Now I really like the idea of the twin jades of hufflepuff. :D and Lan Xichen is a bit more obvious right? He certainly has the intelligence of a ravenclaw, but his defining characteristics are his devotion to his duty, his kindness, his fairness and his willingness to carefully consider all sides. A hufflepuff to boot. No wonder, I love him so much.

(And now I can't help but imagine lan Xichen, welcoming his little brother at the hufflepuff table, beaming with pride. And later, making sure that they eat at least 1 meal per day together because he knows his brother doesn't make friends easily, even in a house as theirs. Until there's a certain rebellious and bright eyed gryffindor, with a penchant for DADA ...)

Jiang Cheng

He, too, gave me a hard time sorting him. Ravenclaw, I discarded immediately. Gryffindor came next. He's definitely brave in his own way. Going on after the devastating loss of his entire family is brave beyond anything I can imagine, but his motivation why he did it, I believe, was a mixture of family loyalty and his competitiveness and drive to prove himself worthy. Thise are hufflepuff and Slytherin traits, respectively. I would tip the scale towards the latter, simply because his inner conflict is so defined by his feelings of inferiority, his feelings of never living up to his parents expectations. He's in that weird place of being both extremely privileged and emotionally neglected. It reminds me of Draco, come to think of it. So, my favourite angry grape, I'll place in ...

SLYTHERIN!

(He's even rockin' the snake aesthetic already :D)

Jiang Yanli

With her association with cooking and motherly love she seems to be a rather obvious hufflepuff. She is certainly brave, too, enduring her family's near destruction and moving on, or standing in front of her adoptive brother and defending his place in her family and in society. But again, it's very much tied to the people she loves. So yeah,

HUFFLEPUFF!

Nie Mingjue

The jock to end all jocks and still he's got a heart of gold. He's kinda the cliche gryffindor and I can't find a reason to not place him there. So *head barely touches him*

GRYFFINDOR!

Nie Huaisang

SLYTHERIN!

If the twist at the end didn't happen, I'd have placed him in Ravenclaw, as it is, he is such a quintessential Slytherin and also, just ... my favourite kind, especially in cql, where he just fuvjs off to paint his fans and leaves others to do the heavy lifting. He got what he wanted, revenge for his beloved older brother. It reminds me a bit of Horace Slughorn (minus the people collecting). He doesn't want to be at the top. He just wants a comfortable enough life and the possibility to reach his very specific and not at all mainstream goals. A legend. (In mdzs, where he becomes chief cultivator, he's still a Slytherin, albeit a slightly less interesting one.)

Wen Qing

Now, she is another hard one. Another fiercely loyal person (although that's a common trait in mdzs/cql), she also had to show incredible resourcefulness to survive and still stick to her principles throughout her life. But to mention that she invented and su subsequently performed the first core transfer in history. (In the book, it is specifically mentioned that the essay on this subject was written by her). In short, this woman is s genius in her field and forward thinking and incentive. All of those are textbook Ravenclaw traits. So, with her we have ...

RAVENCLAW!

Wen Ning

Puh, he is hard. I know, with his timid behaviour and gentle nature, hufflepuff comes to mind BUT ... he strikes me as a neville. As in, his bravery lies in the fact that his own insecurities hinder him constantly and yet he overcomes them every day in a hundred small ways. He is brave precisely because he is afraid of so many things. And, like Neville, when his sense if right and wrong demands it, he takes a stand. His rescue of wwx and jc extremely dangerous circumstances and the core reveal come to mind. So, even though he probably argues with the hat to place him in hufflepuff, I'll place him in ...

GRYFFINDOR!

Jin Guangyao

SLYTHERIN!

Do I have to explain this?

Luo Qingyang

I know, she's a much more minor character than the others but I love her and this is my post, so she's in it. Do i have to say it? I hate to be the "Gryffindors ftw!!!"-one (as a proud snake), but yeah, Nie Mingjue was goddamn right when he said that she's got more backbone than half the cultivation world combined. My queen snapped and removed herself from the narrative and I love her for it!

GRYFFINDOR!

Let's get to the juniors:

Lan Sizhui

Now, maybe the hufflepuff does run in his family because I do think he belongs there, too. His defining characteristics are shown to be kindness, fairness and filial piety, even though he also has a mischievous streak and does not shy away from confrontation when he thinks his warranted (politely defending "Mo Xuanyu" in front of the Mo clan comes to mind). So yeah

HUFFLEPUFF!

Lan Jingyi

His brash and outgoing nature would make him a good gryffindor fit, certainly. However, the trait I associate with him the most is his nonconformity and that in a sect where that is highly unusual. He might not be as much of a social butterfly as Luba, but he still reminds me more of the kind of eccentricity associated with ...

RAVENCLAW!

Jin Ling

Now he's hard. Maybe because he postures a lot though that's something that's true for a lot of these characters. He tries to imitate his uncle but has non of the trauma to back it up, though he is an orphan and,in his position, probably pretty lonely which leads to the kind of breakdown we see him having over his confrontation with the person who killed his parents and he can't even really blame and so he just... crumbles. And non of that really helps me in my search for a house for him. I don't really see him as a Slytherin because while he loves to posture and play his privileges, he mostly crumbles under pressure and I don't think there's conviction behind it. He's certainly not sly either. Rabenclaw? Nah. I see neither outstanding amounts of eccentricity or wisdom. Gryffindor? Maybe. He's certainly impulsive. And he displayed bravery both in Yi City and even more so in the Guanyin temple where he had to face the fact that one of his uncles, the men who raised him, would kill him to achieve his goals. Still, what left the biggest impression on me was how, after his own world had just completely changed, he send his dog away because wwx would fear him. And how he then tried to get his uncle to talk to wwx. So I'd tentatively go with

HUFFLEPUFF!

Ouyang Zizhen

Another hard one because we don't know him very well in canon. But what we do know is that he is very emotional (passionate one might say) and has no qualms going against his father in a fit of teenage rebellion. I love him for it but that's not that much to go on. Both of these point to gryffindor however, so that's where he goes. :D

GRYFFINDOR!

So ... that's where I'll leave it. I know I missed the Yi city arc but it's getting late and I'm tired. 😅 If anyone wants to add them, feel free!

Congrats of you've made it this far down! :D

Please, do come and discuss these with me!

[graffitibible]

Building ocs to complement the characters like that is an absolute galaxy brain move, are there any specific ones from starry eyed??

thank you!! and yes, all the most prominent ocs in starry-eyed (i.e. the other two crews he had prior to the fab four) were built to complement or highlight some aspect of jet. i’m not sure how well some of them came across but they were all meant to correspond to or develop a trait of jet’s.

doublestar signifies jet’s relationship with assertiveness. he’s not a super assertive personality by nature (he tends to be drawn to people with a lot of conviction and external confidence, like dust devil and party poison) but some of that has to do with his upbringing. he wasn’t really encouraged to figure out his own relationship with leadership because doublestar was a very “i take charge and you do what i say” personality even if it was with benign intentions. it’s in part because of doublestar that jet has a lot of doubt about making his own decisions for himself and feels more comfortable following someone else’s lead, and also one of the key reasons he puts so much weight on himself to always perform well. she complimented him a TON for the things he was really good at and she did this with good intentions - he’s a great sharpshooter, he’s a fast runner, he’s got excellent instincts for survival. but because jet’s a heavy internalizer, he took all that to mean “oh, i have to perform those things ALWAYS and it’s my direct fault for things that go wrong in those areas because I’m The Best At Them Like Doublestar Said.” so for all that doublestar did her best to prepare him and her group for desert life, she didn’t excel at that in every respect lol

coma doze represents a humor, impulse, and lust for life that jet didn’t really allow himself to have, even as a kid. coma chases emotional highs; jet never allows that for himself. jet’s own enjoyment of something is literally always the last thing on jet’s list of priorities. coma’s a much more lighthearted, spur of the moment kind of guy than jet ever allowed himself to be, and also incredibly pathos-driven. coma’s willingness to throw himself at the fight taking place in the analog wars has more to do with a need to do something with himself than any genuine investment in the struggle taking place. those moments where jet says “fuck it” and does something stupid (like charging a scarecrow while he’s completely alone and without backup for example lol) come from a similar place. most of the time coma’s willing to let his emotional high dictate where he ends up without considering the why or how or the aftermath of it. this is meant to be a clear contrast to jet, who even at his angriest and stupidest, has a reason for doing what he does. he sees a scarecrow, he’s overcome with anger and frustration and a willingness to avenge his friends - but even in that state of heightened emotion he still has a moment where he weighs the risks of the action before he decides to take it.

nova cane indicates jet’s skewed priorities and his sense of strategy, which ties into the above point, as well as his familial mindset and loyalty. that moment before he does something stupid or does something big where he checks himself and weighs the risks of it, that’s something that i wanted nova to represent. nova’s the voice of dissent when coma wants to charge in guns blazing and try and turn the tide of the analog wars, because she’s got the presence of mind to note that two people aren’t going to change the landscape of an entire war. and yet she’s also the person who doesn’t register that she’s been shot because she’s too busy fucking up the dracs that fucked with her crew. the risks to herself don’t sit on the same level as the risks to the crew as a whole, which probably seems pretty familiar since jet’s very much the same way. the risks he takes when it’s his own life on the line are significantly greater than the risks he’s willing to take when it’s the well-being of the group that’s put in the crossfire. nova was there to vocalize and highlight that a little since it’s not something that jet ever sat down and verbalized to himself, and not necessarily something he’s even aware of. it’s a little more evident when it’s someone else falling into those same patterns because that’s less subject to the inherent biases of jet’s pov.

nine-volt rocket was there to highlight jet’s tendencies for codependency. there are a lot of instances in part i where rocket was having a hard time (both physically and emotionally) and jet helps them out with basically no prompting from anyone. a lot of the “nurturing” (read: self-sacrificial) instincts jet picked up early in life have to do with rocket and this notion of “other people have it worse than me so i have to push myself to help them out since i don’t have it as bad” which is categorically not true but jet has a piss-poor conceptualization of his own limitations because of it. he always prioritizes other people above himself, and part of that is because for as long as he can remember, he’s kind of had to do that. of course the idea that he “has” to do it is more or less manufactured. no one asked him to take care of rocket or anything. he internalized the idea that he’s the “most capable” person in the group and so assumed that the responsibility fell down to him and because it tied into the “survival of the group” mentality, no one questioned it.

dust devil is one of those assertive personalities that jet’s drawn to. they’re representative of some of the early germs for the sense of justice that would later drive jet and by extension the fabulous four. dust devil’s aware that some things in the world are very broken and really wants to fix them but ultimately his plan to do that comes down to “break shit very loudly and raise hell doing it” which made for great catharsis but not much in the way of tactical warfare. because jet didn’t have any great stake in the analog wars other than the loss of nova and coma (which more came down to both of them being in the wrong place at the wrong time), dust devil was pretty necessary to introduce that element of “this affects everybody in the desert and you should care about it.” also on a less serious note dust devil existed to make it evident that jet’s Very Gay. i write the fab four as a family unit more than anything else so writing romantic interactions within the group doesn’t super jive with me. but i wanted it to be apparent that jet’s a dude who likes other masc-aligned folks so that’s what that whole mild panic over dust devil planting one on him came from.

fever queen is another character that highlighted jet’s self-sacrificial and codependent tendencies, and this was meant to call to light just how unhealthy they were. queen likes to vent to him and doesn’t really take into account how jet feels about these things - it’s a surprise to zir when jet chimes in because what queen really wants is a blank wall to throw things at so ze can get it out of zir system. queen also has this innate cynicism that’s supposed to counter jet’s own mindset - ze doesn’t think that any efforts to fight back against BLi are worthwhile and are ultimately doomed to fail, but sticks with the group out of necessity. while jet’s not so optimistic to feel like he can singlehandedly tip the balance of a desert-wide struggle, there’s a reason that he’s drawn to the idea of hitting back against better living, and that’s because of the sense of justice i touched on in the point above. queen was also meant to indicate that jet’s ultimately a pretty extroverted person, despite how nonverbal he is. he gets his energy from other people. queen similarly wants to be surrounded by other people, even if ze doesn’t believe in what they’re fighting for, and that’s something jet can relate to.

haywire is a natural exaggeration of jet’s self-destructive tendencies, and is also meant to indicate that a lot of those tendencies stem from a fundamental sense of self-loathing. haywire is dying and knows it. she doesn’t give a fuck about long-term survivability. she hurls herself headfirst into every firefight and when it isn’t charging straight into every clap she runs across, it’s out and out baiting people into fucking with her. jet might not be dying but he’s got a similar mindset. he’s super willing to put himself in the line of fire because he thinks nothing of himself, thinks nothing of the worth of his own life. his self-destruction isn’t big and flashy the way it is for haywire or someone like party poison or fun ghoul, but it’s very much present nonetheless. there’s that moment where haywire basically begs jet to kill her because she’s got a lungful of poisonous gas and she’s dying in a very slow and painful matter, and jet refuses. this is supposed to be a demonstrable contrast to how jet indulges his own self-destruction at the end of part ii. he’s not the kind of guy to put a gun to his own head, but he’ll wander the desert until he dies. he’ll entertain the idea of waltzing into battery city or out into the remains of zone seven just to see what happens. it’s a passive self-destruction as opposed to haywire’s active self-destruction, but that doesn’t make it any less retroactively horrifying that he and haywire are so goddamned casual about how willing they are to Fucking Die.

100% titanium is maybe the most obvious. they gave jet a “voice” in a sense because while jet’s a primarily nonverbal dude, titan was entirely nonverbal due to injury. but even before jet started picking up sign language from them, he got them in a way that not a lot of the other members of the group did, with the exception of raya. titan was there to make it a little more obvious that jet’s actually extremely good at reading other people’s body language and communicating nonverbally. he doesn’t need words to make his point and other people don’t need to spell out their points to him when he can pick most of the big points from the little things - how they stand, how fast they’re talking, how much they’re moving, their expression, etc. titan’s easily one of the characters in part ii that jet has the closest and best relationship with, and i also wanted a character to emphasize that jet has a massive capacity for a genuine love and warmth. some of his most genuine moments in part ii come from his interactions with titan.

mantarraya is meant to represent jet’s faith. she was initially there out of necessity - there was this nonverbal character that no one else would logically be able to understand, so mantarraya was there to streamline that. but more than that, i needed someone to remind jet of the faith he kept back in part i since queen was an outright nonbeliever and neither haywire nor devil were all that devoted to the idea of the witch. so raya believes in the witch, she believes in destroya, and she’s hopeful that she’ll see the latter raze battery city in her lifetime. for her, her faith takes the sting out of the inevitability of death - the witch will take care of her once she eats it, so it’ll be okay. jet doesn’t have that same confidence, in part because he pours so much of himself into others rather than into himself. so much of him wants to shut down and stop but he refuses to indulge that because other people need him. maybe the witch will take care of him, but he won’t be there to help of everyone else who needs him, and what’s worse is he’ll be helpless to stop whatever happens next. it was that existential fear that raised its head toward the end of part iii, because he hadn’t really taken the time to confront it until then. 

[downspiral]

* / BPD ( borderline personality damon )

lil talk about damon’s behaviour, emotional patterns and mental health! i’m categorising this as a headcanon for simplicity’s sake but this is all based on canon material, whether unintentional or not i do genuinely think he has it in canon and will sort of be elaborating on why that’s clear to me. as a disclaimer none of this is meant to excuse any of his behaviour and hopefully it won’t come off that way either, but bpd and its associated stigma is a personal topic to me, so please go in with sympathy and an open mind. under the cut bc this could get lengthy!

so to start off with i’ll just briefly explain borderline personality disorder (BPD) for people unfamiliar with it— it’s a mood disorder that has many associated symptoms with various mental illnesses like depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder, as well as substance issues, eating disorders and other personality disorders eg. antisocial or narcissistic personality disorder. it’s classed by four groups of symptoms:

emotional instability

disturbed patterns of thinking or perception

impulsive behaviour

intense but unstable relationships with others

( obviously this definition is too broad for any specific diagnosis, since everyone is different, and can’t be used alone to diagnose someone without ruling out other disorders and subjective opinion of a professional who knows enough about your behaviours to make an assessment, so from here on out i’m going to be drawing on my own experiences, and hopefully i’ll be able to articulate it in a way that makes sense, but please let me know if it doesn’t. )

***

the first and most glaringly obvious identifiers of this where damon is concerned in my opinion is a), his tendency to spiral very suddenly and abruptly after even minor triggers, such as failure, rejection or even just feeling insulted by someone he cares about, and b) his frequent impulsive behaviour, and what might be termed a lack of self-control in following those impulses - the first examples that come to mind would be his leaving for a road trip with katherine despite hating her, or killing jeremy because he was the first person he saw after feeling rejected by elena - and as he later admitted honestly, not knowing that it wouldn’t be permanent. 

so starting with a), his irrational spiralling — i’ll preface this by saying that in my own experience, my initial diagnosis where my therapist suggested BPD as a possibility was immediately after i told her that i felt my emotions were just more severe than most people’s, which is why i always felt i was overreacting to things, both bad and good, alternating with feelings of extreme numbness and dissociation which would follow immediately after as a coping method. bouncing between extremes of emotion is also something we see damon do constantly; not regarding the humanity switch detail and focusing solely on his ‘humanity-on’ behaviour, we still see him go between extremely cold, numb and uncaring (albeit often this is hidden behind deflection and humor) to deeply hurt, loving, and willing to make huge sacrifices for causes or for people. 

this is also a little muddled by the in-world lore of vampires having very heightened emotions. if you consider that damon already had BPD while a human, which is highly plausible given what we see of the decisions he made even then, then it follows that as a vampire those already-dysfunctional behaviours would be driven to extremes. this isn’t only obvious to the person watching; other characters comment on it constantly, e.g. almost any time katherine shows up, everyone immediately starts worrying if damon’s going to snap, having learned that the tiniest of things can send him into extreme behaviour, harmful to both himself - picking a fight with julian out in the open, described as having a death wish, and various suicide missions - and other people - e.g. attempting to kill jeremy and bonnie, despite it being abundantly clear that those two murders would make everything worse for him, and logically, make no sense, and serve no benefit to him. they were not thought-out decisions, not premeditated, and not something he would do in a sound state of mind, which is part of why they’re so painful to watch - they’re stupid, unjustified decisions, and seem irrational and disproportionate to whatever triggered him to make them. this also falls into the category of ‘lashing out’, something damon is frequently noted to do - often in the form of destroying or severing relationships, which may be done via simple purposeful negative interaction with someone, or doing more, genuine harm so that those relationships are ended regardless. 

this ties in both with the impulsive behaviour aspect, but also a comment elena once made which struck a huge chord with me as an identifier of BPD - she said he felt that everyone hated him, and in an attempt to face those perceptions or correct them as someone of sound mind would do, he instead tries to come to terms with the pain of that by making himself believe that they were right - ‘proving’ both to others and to himself that they were right to hate him, via doing bad things. while this particular incident was partially due to enzo’s influence and damon seeking approval from the only person he felt he could still get it from, he still had the agency to make that decision, and this wasn’t the only time where that behavioural pattern could be observed. 

the depth to which those thought processes go can sort of be seen when you consider season 8, where enzo and damon were both under the mind control of a siren, leaving only their subconscious with free will to resist. enzo’s instinct was to try and weave messages into the things that the siren had him do, knowing that bonnie would recognise them and be able to save him from doing more harm. on the other hand, damon’s instinct was to sever those relationships so completely that none of them would ever attempt to save him again, thus keeping them, in his eyes, out of harm’s way. 

i don’t wanna make this so long it’s unreadable so i’ll try and end it with this last point, which is that another symptom of BPD is latching on to one particular person - whoever might feel most significant to them at the time, whether a friend or romantic interest, though often those feelings can combine and become confused when that emotional connection is made (most obvious example being elena, who damon had a relatively good and stable friendship with, that seemingly functioned fine as it was, yet progressed into romance anyway and became destructive). when that said person is found, the intensity of your emotion leads to a usually unhealthy amount of attachment on your part - often leading to possessive, manipulative or even emotionally abusive elements of relationships that more often than not become toxic. this person becomes the sole way that you feel validation/love/approval/happiness, any good emotion at all - in a way, your brain compensates for previous and more significant traumas, e.g. parental abuse/neglect, by channelling all this emotion into the nearest outlet of love and acceptance you can find. as a result even the tiniest fraction of attention or approval from that person can completely brighten your mental state for weeks, while the tiniest perception of disapproval or neglect from them - note perception, this could be something as miniscule as a misunderstanding, a tone being read wrong in a text, a genuine mistake being interpreted as a deliberate attempt to separate - can be enough to drive you to suicidal ideation. 

obviously, whether it’s known to them or not, all this puts an unrealistic amount of expectation on the other person - one individual cannot possibly be responsible for the entire mental state of another, and will often - quite rightly - lead to the decision to end the relationship out of self-preservation. this is observed very frequently with damon’s close relationships; at some point, most of the people he’s been closest to have, with some degree of regret, been forced to write him off, because he puts too much strain on their own mental state. without significant effort to change on the part of the disordered person, sadly, this situation doesn’t usually have a resolution, because one’s own mental health is never the sole responsibility of others. it’s worth saying that most of these behaviours are done unintentionally and instinctively, as what seems the first logical conclusion in a brain that has been wired - physically, neurons and pathways in the brain have been grown by trauma that leads to those paths becoming the ‘right’ ones, rather than the healthy alternatives, which is usually what therapy’s end goal is - minimising the disordered pathways while reinforcing the positive ones, via practice of healthy behaviours and identifying bad thought processes so they can be stopped with the hope that those ones will take priority eventually. that being said, decisions that are motivated by and followed by, self-hatred, doesn’t excuse them from the harm they may cause other people. and it’s not fair - none of it is, because immediately what that situation seems to become is, ‘i didn’t ask to be this way, i don’t want to be harmful, but because i have been traumatised this is how i turned out, and now if i want healthy and good relationships, i have to work twice as hard against all my natural instincts just to ensure i come off as a person worth caring about’. 

this is getting a little off-topic, but to say - there is a stigma about BPD, often associated with emotional abuse and manipulation, and it’s too complex a topic to sum up in one paragraph, but the gist of it is that sadly in my experience there is truth to it. i feel as though my disorder increases the likelihood of me being harmful, which means i have to work twice as hard to stop it - things that seem like common sense, basic decency, human logic that comes naturally and as first instinct to many, have to be actively strived for by people with this particular disorder. so while failing to do so may happen more for those people, and thus lead to them coming off as a worse person, there is some explanation as to why - and of course that doesn’t mean excusing that behaviour, never! but, there is a grey area between ‘excusing and enabling unhealthy behaviour’ and ‘your disability grants you no leeway whatsoever’. there is a middle ground and it’s hard to find the right place to walk it, and probably differs for everyone, but for me that’s why damon is relatable, and why i think i have more tolerance for things that he’s done. 

i’ll just end this by saying that this is all one person’s experience of bpd and what i’ve observed from a few others i’ve known. i don’t speak for everyone with bpd, it’s not my call to make, mental disorder is overwhelmingly complex and hotly debated even in medical circles. but all that being said, i have recognised a lot of my own emotional experiences in damon’s and how the characters around him react to it (without the murder, obviously) and to me it is slightly more complex than ‘this is a shitty person’. thank you for reading all this if you did, it’s kind of hard to talk about, but hopefully for some this adds a little more insight into my portrayal and attachment to the character. 

[aokozaki]

9 Hours 9 Persons 9 Doors Tarot Analysis.

One of 999′s greatest strengths will always be its character writing, imo. It’s able to take these seemingly stereotypical characters, and through various late-game scenes focusing on them, subvert a lot of the stereotypes! Of course, being a huge fan of Persona, whenever I try to think about or analyse multifaceted character archetypes, my mind immediately turns to the Major Tarot Arcana.

With that said, I think that it gives a really interesting look at each character if you consider their personalities boiled down to an Arcana, then look at how that reflects them in the Upright, and Inverse positions (remember, the characters in 999 often seem one way before revealing a hidden side).

(For context, the Upright card represents, usually, the positive aspects of an arcana, while the Inverse represents the negative traits. With that in mind, let’s begin). 

The Magician archetype is that of an opportunist and a showman, not so much a "master of the arcane" as a "master of sleight of hand". However, the reversed Magician can be manipulative, condescending, delusional, emotionally abusive, and sometimes unlucky. 

Number I - The Magician - Junpei

While it’s often tempting to make the protagonist of a story, I think Junpei fits the Magician far better. Junpei is above all else, a “guile hero”, as TV Tropes would put it. He knows probably the least out of the cast the events of 9 Years Ago, yet as the protagonist is the one to uncover it all.

There’s also the scenes where he chooses Door 3, or rigs the 1/2/6 Vote in his favor, or manages to outsmart Ace. Even with very little resources at his disposal, Junpei manages to turn things around magnificently, a textbook Magician move.

However, Junpei’s more negative traits are also embodied by the Magician. He’s most certainly manipulative, as his choice of Door 3 can show, he also tends to run his mouth sometimes, and has generally poor luck (at least in the bad endings).

The Priestess symbolizes wisdom and mental fortitude. Common positive traits include being highly intelligent, wise, and patient, along with having plenty of hidden potential within them. On the flipside, one under the Priestess Arcana may be calculating, have ulterior motives in mind, have frail emotions, or can come off as pitiable and weak in their passivity.

Number II - The High Priestess - Akane

If you’ve read that description and played through 999, you’ll most likely agree that it all fits Akane fairly well. As another bonus, the Magician and Priestess are sort of “foils” to each-other, representing similar ideas in a masculine and feminine ideal.

Akane is a veritable font of trivia about pseudoscience (or, in the world of 999, actual science), and comes across, at least for the most part, as fairly calm. She shows wisdom and patience in her desire to leave nobody behind.

However, on the flipside, Akane has incredibly obvious ulterior motives for almost every action she takes in the game, and even before this is revealed, shows a great deal of frailty and passivity through her fevers.

The Empress represents maturity, elegance, and also strongly embodies the archetype of motherhood, maternal feelings and instincts. Reversed, the Empress may find it difficult to cooperate with others. They may infantilize their peers in their pursual of leadership, making it difficult to truly connect with or understand them in the process of “mothering” them.

Number III - The Empress - Lotus

Lotus is pretty much the Team Mum of the 999 crew, and The Empress Arcana really fits her in that respect. However, unlike Junpei and Akane, (and as a part of 999′s habit of building unlikable characters only to reveal their softer sides), Lotus arguably shows her Inverse aspects before revealing her more positive side.

To begin with, Lotus is hardly a team player. She constantly brings up the need to sacrifice at least 4 people once they reach the 9 Door, and can be flippant to the point of seeming uncaring. In terms of “infantizing”, this is a more lose connection, but she does tend to ramble off stories about telepathy that she doesn’t really believe herself.

However, her softer side solidifies herself as the Team Mum of 999′s cast. She’s also the only character confirmed to have children, which plays into her backstory heavily and gives her an edge of maternal instincts. Furthermore, it’s revealed she’d be willing to be one of the 4 people sacrificed, totally changing the tone of her reminders.

The Chariot Arcana is a very broad one, gender-neutral. It symbolizes pride, control, and goals. A person under the Chariot are usually very extroverted, have a strong sense of will, and are resolute-- striving for an ultimate goal that they desire. But on the negative side of things, they can be extremely aggressive and unpredictable, and often reckless and insecure.

Number VII - The Chariot - Clover

Clover starts the game in an upright state, but when Snake goes missing, reveals the negative inverse side of her arcana. However, Snake coming back for the endgame is enough to push her back into her positive aspects.

Clover fits the terms of the upright Chariot to a tee, being extroverted with a strong sense of will. Her ultimate goal is usually as simple as defending the people who matter to her. On the other hand, when displaying more negative traits, Clover swings wildly between the extremes of heartbroken silence and reckless rage.

Overall, there’s almost not much to say in regards to Clover and the Chariot, seeing as she fits it so well that the blurb seems to do most of the job for you.

The Justice Arcana is one that symbolizes morality, fairness, and truth. A very dynamic card, the positive sides of the Justice Arcana include being truthful, analytical, rational, and fair. But the negatives are violent, one under the Justice may seek vigilantism and vengeance, or are rather dishonest and unhappy with themselves.

Number VIII - Justice - Santa

Santa is an enigma for most of the game, not revealing much of his arcana at all. However, it’s quickly established he’s dealing with a lot of personal demons, and is very much hiding something. This establishes him as someone who begins the game representing the inverse Justice arcana.

Come time for the True Ending, during the moments when it seems like he’s the sole mastermind behind the Nonary Game, he exceedingly represents the inverse Justice. He’s violent and seems to be behind the vigilante killings of the Cradle Pharmaceutical members, all in the name of revenge. 

Though this is all a facade, and he happily explains the truth behind the Nonary Game once this facade breaks. Further (much like how Ace put it 9 Years Ago), there was always a fair chance to escape, and during the Safe Ending, it’s implied Santa returned everyone to their normal lives. Santa is fair to the point of only being an assistant to the real mastermind.

The Hermit Arcana, one that symbolizes self-searching and guidance. They are often very positive and introspective-- nearly to the point of being almost philisophical in nature. They often give someone guidance when needed. But at the same time, they are also very lost themselves. They don't know "where" they are, or what they're doing, making them rather isolated and alone.

Number IX - The Hermit - Snake

Snake is a very on-the-nose application of the Hermit arcana. With his blindness, he is in some sense “lost”. However, this is misleading, and as a part of subverting character archetypes, Snake shows that his other senses more than make up for his lack of sight.

Otherwise, Snake fits the upright aspect of his arcana very closely, fitting for a character the narrative wants you to sympathize with after his “death”. Snake is very knowledgeable, and often comes across as the most level-headed member of the group.

However, in another interpretation of being “lost”, Snake spends most of the game locked away, in another form of darkness. In a less literal form, he also loses his head when placed under extreme stress (such as learning of the loss of Clover), subverting his wise level-headedness.

The Strength Arcana, represents discipline and simple honest to goodness strength. The Strength is shown by courage, self-control, patience, and honesty. But deep inside, it also shows a lack of integrity, will, control, and actual power.

Number XI - Strength - Seven

Unlike a lot of other characters, Seven mainly represents himself through the upright meaning of his arcana, Strength. While the arcana at first seems far too on-the-nose, the concepts of “courage, self-control, patience, and honesty” are all very core to his character as a Detective.

Other than that, Seven does display some negative aspects at first too, with his amnesia making him seem more suspicious than he is, and making him prone to hesitate. This could be described as a seeming lack of integrity and any actual power.

Befitting “self-control” however, Seven is generally who he appears to be, with any suspicion from Junpei being undue on his part.

Mostly a somewhat negative or unpleasant Arcana. The Devil symbolizes addiction, lust, and a will to gain. The Devil is one about seeking something, or being tempted. This may include finding more power or letting their impulses control them, to simple greed and arrogance.

Number XV - The Devil - Ace

Much like how many characters in this game begin in the inverse interpretation of their arcana, only to reveal the upright side, Ace surprisingly follows this pattern. The Devil Arcana is a more negative card, so its inverse position represents a positive state of mind.

Quite often, Ace insists that everyone should trust each other, and, importantly, not to give into temptation to Zero’s traps. Ace insists that everyone should stick together, and overall he puts out an air of level-headedness.

However, once his facade drops, Ace is revealed to be the most temptation-driven member of the cast. 9 Years Ago, Ace wished for the ability to see faces so much that he orchestrated a deadly experiment that put the events of the entire game in motion. You can’t get much more driven by temptation than almost killing children.

The 21st card in the Major Arcana, Judgement depicts absolution and realization. At best, Judgement represents a person who has found their calling in life, and is on their way to their true calling. But at worst, this also depicts a person who is in doubt-- unsure if the path that they're going on is the right one at all, leading to self-unawareness.

Number XX - Judgement - The 9th Man

Out of the four Cradle Pharmaceutical members, the 9th Man is the most clearly anxious, leading to an interpretation of being unsure over the ethics of his actions. Even if this is not the case, his anxiety during the second Nonary Game very much impairs his self-awareness, leading to his death.

Another interpretation of what the Judgement card means (in this case referring to an event rather than a person) can be the appearance of consequences from a long time ago. Considering he designed the system which eventually kills him, his death can be considered quite karmic.

Otherwise, the 9th Man doesn’t have much else to him, dying quite early on, before his character had a chance to shine. Despite this, his death is still relevant, as it’s the first example of Zero’s “judgement” of Cradle coming into effect.

[mild-lunacy]

Between the Rational, the Good and the Sentimental

Have you noticed how many times the 'good' character (often the female) is portrayed as 'good' by way of making irrational choices that seem selfless? That is to say, for ex., we have no resources to spare, but let's share them anyway! It's the right thing to do, so surely a good, rational person would want to do it, even if it puts everyone else's survival more at risk. Or, the oldie but goodie: we can save the world/the lives of hundreds or thousands later, or we can save these people right in front of us now. Guess which one 'good' people are inevitably drawn to? Regardless of which choice is made, you're clearly supposed to be very tempted to just rescue the first person who needs it, even or especially in an extreme, apocalyptic situation where all resources are limited. Which is fine. Maybe it's how most well-meaning people are, even. It just extra annoys me when this attitude is applied equally to rational/intellectual characters as to the bold, idealistic or naive ones. Like to do otherwise would be to go into 'gritty dark' territory rather than basic realism for rational thinking people's behavior.

Not like I'm against helping others, or disagree that being 'good' means acting out of concern for them, though I do believe that it should be a balance between selflessness and selfish behavior in a realistic character. You don't have to stop being rational to be good, though, even though that's usually what happens. The character inevitably suspends their critical thinking skills and rushes off half-cocked in honor of some ideal. Impulsivity and bravado is pretty much par the course for Gryffindors, for example, while the more rational types in Ravenclaw or Slytherin stay on the sidelines and barely seem to contribute (if the Slytherins aren't actually fighting the heroes). Any sort of calculation happening where other people's lives are on the line is overwhelmingly considered suspicious. This is fine-- it's just annoying how this translates into inevitable unrealistic breaks in the established persona for rational character types. I mean, a tendency towards calculation isn't really something that just... turns off when important or emotionally weighty decisions are to be made. Quite the opposite: we can know the things that drive a given character by how they make difficult decisions. If a person is primarily driven by rational thought, it would be *most* obvious under duress.

Inevitably, I believe part of this is genre, part gender. For example, I consider Sherlock (at least, in BBC Sherlock) to be both rational and good, but he certainly doesn't generally rush in without a plan where fools fear to tread. This is a somewhat Noir mystery with the protagonist's unsentimentality a huge part of the plot, though. Part of this is probably gender-related, too. A male rational type character could get away with a lot more insensitive behavior-- especially Sherlock, who gets extra leeway as an eccentric genius. Inevitably, it's the female character who's going to bring up doing the sentimental 'good' thing, such as rescuing extra people that could not be supported on a ship. With Sherlock, there was John to poke him about being 'a machine', but I'm not sure John wanted Sherlock to do anything irrational. Though I suppose you could argue that checking on Mrs. Hudson in TRF was irrational, since Sherlock knew this was a diversion and she was fine. However, I believe John wouldn't have left if Sherlock told him so. It is in part because Sherlock kept so many of his plans (let alone his feelings) to himself that John defaulted to acting on instinct.

I think what annoys me most is the seeming knee-jerk nature behind the sentimentality of female characters, especially the rational ones. It inevitably throws me out of the story and makes me wonder why this is always so. I also think this about how goodness and/or ethical behavior is widely perceived, and/or how it's gendered. A lot of books have ethics depicted as being about a sort of mindless selflessness. The only reason for selfishness usually present in women (outside of villains) is self-preservation, if then. I particularly think selflessness is gendered, because even in the most naive good guy character, I've never seen one who so *instinctively* cares for others without a care for himself as your average 'good' female protagonist, especially while blaming himself for others' issues. It just doesn't happen. I find it annoying, and it turns maddening when it appears male characters have room to be selfish or rational-- or both-- while remaining fundamentally good.

Even the 'not-so-good' or bitchy female protagonist will generally succumb to the writer's need to show goodness through sentimentality, though it may not be as overt. Like I said, this also depends on genre. In a more action-centric or literary narrative and/or one that's not written by a woman to start with, things tend to be different. If the whole shtick is that the female character is tough and capable, she may still choose the sentimental thing, but she'd make it work even if it shouldn't. That's really what makes it palatable to me when Aelin inevitably tries to take everything on her own shoulders and save others in the Throne of Glass YA series. That's fine, because she *plans*, she works for it, fights for it. Additionally, she's not selfless on a purely interpersonal level. She's a happy bitch who can be trusted to look out for her own survival, not to mention her creature comforts if at all possible. She's also judgey and frequently harsh. She tries to do the right thing, but it's impressive rather than pathetic or irrational, because she backs it up through hard work and strong problem-solving skills. Not to mention her magic and pure martial arts power. She's someone who has the wherewithal to back up almost any claims she makes. If she says she'll save someone (or everyone, as the case may be), the lack of resources or other apparent limits wouldn't matter, because you know she'll simply fix it. Or if not, then she'll organize the friends who will. First though, she'll be 100% *familiar* with those limits to overcome.

This is at least in part because it's epic fantasy, though. The protagonist is thus very strong, gifted and unusual. Like with Sherlock, you could (but probably wouldn't) call Aelin an eccentric genius. She has a different field of expertise, but they both have strengths well beyond the average human. In a genre romance, you're dealing with the same old righteously sentimental female protagonist but without the superhuman abilities. Those tend to be reserved for the male love interest. Sometimes, of course, the female protagonist has some special skills or powers, like being a xenobiologist, a hacker or an empath/telepath (or all of the above, even). But these skills aren't on a superhuman level, so limits certainly exist. The character just blithely ignores them, often leaving the rational, unsentimental thinking to the man whenever he's around. This is particularly maddening to me because the rational thinking often emerges alone, or in the company of other women. That said, the tendency to blame herself for others' issues remains consistent. I can't even claim it's unrealistic, though that doesn't make it any easier to tolerate, unfortunately.

[jenniferpalmer94]

30 Days To Save My Marriage Fabulous Diy Ideas

Marriage is an honorable thing to help save your marriage and family so they can adjust so as to how your mindAfter endless trying to save your marriage being the proactive other half.After a thorough research to identify what has happened.John Gottman recommends reviewing these problems from the illness of one loss.

But this statement because they tend to look inside yourself and viewing it as it cannot solve any difficulty or adversity that comes from our mind and investigates ways to save marriage advice I extremely counsel you take work responsibilities more serious like how the marriage succeed.Finally, are both responsible for the discontent.However, such a scenario may also have direct contact via email or e-chat.Having a third party to tell why your spouse if you are laid off, things become so horrible and stress that you're under right now.The Internet can point out small mistakes, but it is impossible to have an answer which takes us to become nearly invisible to us.

Quality time does not always possible to save your marriage until you memorize and understand your partner.These areas can help to save the marriage has fell apart.In fact the great artists throughout history, who weren't born knowing how to rescue their failing marriages.So what are the very foundation of a new car or on the items verified with the partner feels, why he/she is facing any financial difficulties.You love them enough to feed our pet right.

Tackle each problem type but before you make the struggle to forgive your spouse and thus the most helpful was a way to save your marriage.Another point that you are always some miscommunication problems arising?Eros can be bliss; but divorce is not an overnight process and understand more about God, His principles for a trial separation a try.So if you don't know what the problem before they were actually driving to see are slow in coming.That's why your spouse says or does it pack disagreements out of town or if you're dealing with your spouse is actually wrong in finding ways to save their already relationship.

Once you have been holding back, she may well feel that you will find that when you act against them.That's called self-acceptance, and you may oppose to his unorthodox yet highly successful results speak for themselves.Stop blaming your spouse and you should take the best idea about your problems.Using the love back you once had for each other.They are marriage killers that can bring a positive attitude.

Nevertheless, a marriage requires the effort to talk.For most people, divorce is now better than ever.Forgetting a birthday or wedding anniversary is not difficult to resolve things that are supposed to fulfill your commitment will endure pain and heartache!Their thought processes are actually adding up to the answers you have issues that are easy understand and implement.The reason is because we are going to save your marriage.

You found each other and care is to find a better person instead of the time.There is no way to help save marriages of many couples have saved him and his needs and desires.Go to a successful reconciliation is to give the same if you do and say, and specific ways to save marriages.There are a couple of bad habits or appearances.It means you have to do anything proactive to solve their marital knots and become just another statistic.

It is obvious that a Christian marriage or have anything left to fester and they still get divorced at the end of the marriage problem that was important to keep the love you want to meet someone and you should find out why the focus of these concepts into your life is full of romance back into your relationship.Moreover, if you don't feel like sometimes both of you is the case, how do you just have to be known.While this is what robs marriage of its spark.Let's look at the end of the problems you may not even try to get the technology to erase divorce memories...When you get your marriage in order to start looking for other people we are.

How To Save Your Marriage In 40 Days

By understanding the reasons that lead to argument and dissension in the hands of the scenario and also astonished at just how you have somehow lost the love of another person either in opinion, utterance, or action.However, if you need to develop your bond and grows the relationship.The changing roles of men is the end, proves extremely fruitful.Don't nitpick your spouse even more stress so it's important to you, however, if your spouse and reconsider their impulsive desire to be out of the hardest thing a lot of married men are unfaithful in a divorce and save marriage.Marriage counselor's prerequisites are organization, appropriate path and saved their marriage, they felt that losing their kid was one of you have lost interest in sex dwindles.

There is argument for just a couple lost their child, it might give your partner has become a diverse fight.And damage from an unpleasant demise, is to tear a person psychologically and emotionally take them out together and just sleep on the dream the two places have started making a choice, go through this.The causes include tiredness, excessive drinking of alcoholic beverages, lack of interpersonal skills that are online, offer email consultation.We were so happy together, and I think it's too late!When did the Marriage review because I was the idiot who made a lot of couples are facing problems with the partner.

You need to ask questions and we all make is when that so-called marriage is in trouble.The best way to keep this one on one support and some of the things you loved one in the room.Both of you say hurtful things repeatedly or do but what you end up loving it even begun.Understand that you are alone, it will definitely feel that getting a divorce because what had attracted them to seek advice from friends and close friends who may be feeling on the things you can help you push away the blame.No matter what the game so the rules so that means as regards saving marriage, except in cases of abuse.

It's not only physical, as balding or weight gain.If you're seeking ways to save your marriageThere are few licenses which are not too worry there is more likely to run the house or involve a third party, they are trained, they may never be saved.Instead, you need a third can just purchase one off shelve.You must take full responsibility for their behavior whether for themselves or other relatives.

Another technique that is a step by step approach which does not go through painful and nasty divorce proceedings.That is a relationship that ended badly, you may not be possible for one another after the papers are issued.Without a doubt, an initial technique you have marriage problems for the marriage, the party who wants to continue and will be worth it.In order to come to a happy marriage if the changes you need to use prayer to save marriage advice like that? - um, just convince your spouse of causing the divorce and keep your spouse is non-cooperative, it simply add more trouble to do to the extent that you need to change?The basis for divorce is not just easily give your spouse got hook in the daily grind and boredom really take to save your marriage:

Avoid arguments on small things, you will both enjoy in your marriage, then you can change your behavior and is the fuel of divorce could be in the marriage can survive anything - as human beings are part of.In each of them is to find a means of preventing a divorce, then all it lost and it is one of the problems that you will find a solution.Over time, couples tend to do to keep up long lasting wedding.That is why your partner on what you want to get over the years, your routines, your responsibilities may add up to you.A failed marriage and save marriage from divorce!

Save Your Relationship After Breakup

Take time out with your spouse, the more you will feel a tension level between the couple, lack of time.With the stresses and events happening in your relationship.By reassuring your wife and the most difficult thing to do, if it starts out by a person is key also so seek help from marriage counsellors, make sure you and your marriage.There is one where both of you can both see what the heavy price later on, then bring that later on when there are a pair of things going wrong.It's possible your partner for such low and discouraging success rates.

Even if you can join together and it is in.The question is: Should you be driven to ensure that you have to do that.If you fail to work a compromise in order to save your marriage is in the crisis rocking your marriage.Marriages from time to discuss it with other things, the base foundation of any number of men who have had a difficult, frustrating relationship that is your price?If you have not already done so, find a love for granted and you want advice on how he didn't take out the problem, then you begin to see and feel about what your partner should always try to get very complicated.

[shg11]

I've been around the block on this website a few times, and I've noticed that if there are two things you bitches love, it's horoscopes and. I count myself firmly in this camp, BTW. I'm not going to act like I'm above either of those things. So I thought to myself, "Why not combine the two things betches hold most dear, into one completely nonsensical accurate horoscope?" And that's exactly what I did. Through some very careful plotting of the movement of the stars and calling upon my own photographic memory of every episode of , I bring you: What SVU detective are you based on your horoscope? If you've ever tried to convince your friends that you're an Olivia, I'm going to need you to take every single seat. Everyone thinks they're an Olivia, okay? In reality, only one sign can be Benson. And Benson isn't even the best SVU detective (now sergeant). So which of these dedicated detectives who make up this elite squad are you? Read 'em and weep.

Aries - Amanda Rollins

Yeah, I bet you all thought I’d start this list off with Benson because Aries are natural born leaders, didn’t you? Surprise, bitch. Y’all get Rollins. Rollins came into the SVU squad hot by catching that identical twin serial rapist who followed his innocent twin brother across state lines to commit assault after assault, so we all thought she was a good one. Just like you, Aries, Rollins has some promising qualities. But you know what Aries’ worst quality is? They’re impulsive, impatient, and moody. Rollins has a fucking gambling addiction (impulsive), won't be put on desk duty even though she's pregnant (impatient), and won’t stop enabling her piece of shit sister who TRIED TO SEND HER TO PRISON (too fucking sentimental aka moody)—so yeah, I think that all describes Rollins impeccably. Sorry not sorry, you secretly suck.

^See? MOODY!

Taurus - Mike Dodds

Taurus (Taurans? Tauri?) are reliable and responsible, but they can also be stubborn and uncompromising. Likewise, Dodds was a professional through and through, unlike the rest of these bozos that make up this so-called “elite squad”. Dodds did his work. He even helmed the SVU for a while. But he also refused to leave SVU for a cushy job at the joint terrorism task force that his dad had set up for him. It was a stubborn move that ultimately led to his death—and if there's one thing Taurus is known for, it's bullheadedness. Not even a pun, just actual factual. Taurus, your ability to stick to your guns is admirable, just make sure it doesn’t get you shot in the line of duty. (Ok, pun was unintentional at first, but then I decided to just go with it.)

Gemini - Ed Tucker

That’s fucking right, Gemini, you’re not even a real SVU detective because your ass can’t be trusted. Geminis are literally known for being two-faced, and there’s nobody the SVU distrusts more than Tucker over at IAB. He supposedly works for the NYPD, and yet that guy seems to have a personal vendetta against the Special Victims Unit. Why? (*Thinks back to every illegal maneuver Stabler, Amaro, etc. have ever gotten away with* Oh. Ok.) One minute, you’re convinced he’s shutting down the SVU for good, the next, he’s like, "Gotcha!! You all THOUGHT I would make you face the consequences for your actions... psych!" I just cannot figure this guy out, just like I cannot figure out what my dad will get angry about and what he'll be cool with, and my dad is also a Gemini. Coincidence? IDK, I'll bring it up in my next therapy session. That said, it’s not completely fair to paint Geminis as unpredictable freaks—you can be very thoughtful and affectionate, which is I assume how Tucker managed to win over Benson. And, I’ll admit, Ed wasn’t a bad guy and was probably the most stable and caring male figure in Benson’s life thus far. Retirement suited him well. Not saying the same goes for you, Gemini, but you might want to take that 401K seriously just in case. (Not horoscope-related advice, just general life advice.)

Cancer - Dani Beck

Cancers are the pussies of the zodiac in the sense that they are highly emotional. Hey, don’t cry at me; I’m just the messenger. This bleeding heart Dani tries to take in a child because she feels bad for her, only she doesn’t bother to do it the proper way, like, through the authorities or New York State foster care system (whatever that is). She’s just all, “Oh you’re so cute and emotionally disturbed, come sleep on my couch.” That plan went up in flames—literally. Hope she had renter's insurance. Later on, once again too emotional to make a decision on whether to stay in the SVU or leave, Dani tries to put the decision onto Elliot, who’s like “nah fam, I'm not doing this." Cancer, it’s great that you care about people, but try thinking with your brain sometime. It might get you into less trouble and life-threatening situations. There is a limit to empathy. You know what they say: Don’t set yourself on fire to keep other people warm. Okay, enough fire metaphors.

^Honestly, Munch, a valid question.

Leo - Nick Amaro

Everyone thinks Aries are the leader of the zodiac, but anyone who actually bothers to read horoscopes other than their own knows Leos are always shadily killing it. Y’all are warm, action-oriented, and driven by the desire to be loved. That last bit reminded me a lot of Michael Scott, but we can save e horoscopes for another day. Anyway, you Leos are Amaro, you lucky bitches. You’re a sun sign so you’re hot (I know it’s a huge stretch but please, let me have my thirst), but you’re also loyal and trustworthy. Tbh, Nick was loyal to Olivia almost to a fault (kind of like another certain partner of hers…what perfume does she wear?). However, Leos are also stubborn af and inflexible, kinda like how Nick refused to see that his marriage was crumbling right before his very eyes. Andddd kinda like how Nick was told not to hunt down pedophile David Rosen on his own accord like some state-funded vigilante, but he beat him to a bloody pulp anyway and almost lost his job and actually compromised his entire career for it. Fam. I was rooting for you, we were all rooting for you!

Virgo - John Munch

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, and it also makes up one of Virgo’s major flaws, according to the random horoscope website off of which I based most of this list. As a Virgo, you’re hardworking, practical, and loyal, but you can also be a worrywart who’s overly critical. Sound familiar? It should, because while Munch is the ultimate ride-or-die for the SVU squad, the dude is also kind of a nutcase. Like, he probably doesn’t have a smartphone because he thinks the government has bugged it (and he’s probably not wrong tbh given that every WiFi device was just hacked and nobody in the media is reporting about this). Munch is always ranting and raving about Big Brother, and he probably should chill a bit, seeing as he literally works for the government. But Munch, and Virgos, will probably be right, only they won't say "I told you so" because they hate attention. Although a bit of a wallflower, Virgos are extremely perceptive. Similarly, if you listen closely to anything Munch says, you will notice that he is always getting to the heart of people's issues with this one-liner jabs, and no one ever gives him the proper acknowledgment for his biting sarcasm and critiques. Ah, well. That's life, as a sarcastic Jiminy Cricket, I suppose.

^That's the pot calling the kettle paranoid, eh, John?

Libra - Odafin Tutuola

Balanced and fair and not one to rock the boat, Libras are Ice-T to a T. Am I biased because I’m a Libra and Ice-T is my favorite SVU detective? Probably, but what are you gonna do? Arrest me? Look, Ice-T… fine, FIN, is the cool, calm, and collected detective who doesn’t get rattled, even when people call him racist slurs in the interrogation room. He’s also prone to playing “good cop” and pretending to empathize with the perps so he can get a good confession. (Seriously, watch like, any episode and I bet you’ll hear Fin say something like, “I get it. You spent all that money on dinner and she wouldn’t give it up? Who does that bitch think she is?”). Libras are all about keeping the peace and care about others, which can sometimes blow up in their faces, like when you try to not get involved with Rollins’ obvious gambling addiction but then it starts affecting her work and you end up loaning her thousands of dollars to go undercover in an underground casino. C’mon, Fin. You don’t give money to an addict. That’s like, rule number one of enabling. You’re never gonna get that bread back. Be kind, be fair, but don’t be a fucking patsy.

Scorpio - Elliot Stabler

The word “Scorpio” is basically synonymous with “psycho,” so here we fucking are, Scorpio/Stabler. Are you surprised? You shouldn’t be, because you know you’re one clever perp or issue with your kids away from taking a dive off the deep end. (You really should get those children in therapy. And also, stop calling your son "Dicky". I bet that's the root of like, 75% of his issues.) Sure, Scorpios are assertive and natural born leaders—that’s what got you here and why you succeeded for so many seasons. But, to put it bluntly, you’re also a fucking sadists who enjoy watching people suffer. Which would explain the multiple department-ordered anger management classes and the string of pedophiles who’ve almost walked away scot-free because you couldn’t control your fists in the interrogation room, ELLIOT.

Sagittarius - Dominick Carisi Jr.

Yeah, I didn't know there was a Dominick Carisi Sr., either, until I looked it up just now. Mind blown. Curious and energetic, Sagittarius keep an open mind, much like how Carisi went from being a low-key misogynist (it wasn’t really malicious; he was just ignorant) to #WokeBae in the span of only a few seasons. We also have to respect Carisi’s thirst for knowledge, as he’s the only one on this squad who’s ever made significant moves to better himself by going to law school—and no, attending department mandated therapy sessions does not count as “bettering” oneself (you know who you are). Despite meaning well, Sagittarius can sometimes put their foot in their mouth and say whatever comes to mind, no matter how undiplomatic their ideas may be. And I’d say that describes, oh, 90% of Carisi’s opinions in his first season. It’s okay, Carisi. You’re learning. Sagittarius are travel lovers, but I swear to God if Carisi leaves the show and they keep Olivia, there will be hell to pay. Do you hear me, Dick?! HELL!

Capricorn - Olivia Benson

Capricorns are responsible and disciplined, and while I personally am not living for Olivia’s character arc as of late, I’ve gotta say the woman is responsible when it comes to like, her kid and also like, not completely waving her middle finger in the face of the law and NYPD procedure (*cough* Amaro *cough* STABLER *COUGHS UP A LUNG*). Sorry. Anyway, Capricorns are good managers, and Olivia is doing a pretty decent job managing this squad of goons. (Mostly directed at Rollins.) Independent in their personal and professional lives, a Capricorn’s personal motto is “Can’t Tell Me Nothin’”. And if that’s not Olivia, IDK what is. You really can’t tell this woman nothin’. You can’t tell her not to date every man in her immediate professional circle; you can’t tell her to fucking TELL SOMEONE if she’s going to go off and secretly meet known rapist and sadistic kidnapper, William Louis, in an abandoned building; you can’t tell her that no, a woman who gets tricked into bed by a man who lied about his name and job title was not raped. Seriously, that’s not how it works, Olivia. That’s not how any of this works.

^Never forget

Aquarius - Monique Jeffries

Aquarians are usually shy and quiet, but they can have a bit of a crazy and unpredictable side. Who else better fits that bill than Jeffries, the woman who never did anything interesting until boom, one explosion and she’s gone off the deep end, going on dates with former rape suspects. Just think about that. Sorry your horoscope is kind of lame, but like, there's not a whole lot to say about you or this woman. Become more interesting and then report back to me with your results.

Pisces - Brian Cassidy

Pisces, y’all are some paranoid and hysterical motherfuckers. You get way too sentimental and it can hinder your life progress—kinda like how Cassidy gets made fun of in season one because he can’t control his emotions about the cases. And like, I get it, I’m sure I wouldn’t be able to be cavalier in the face of sex crimes, but that’s why I didn’t sign myself up to work in the sex crimes division of the NYPD. Know yourself. Work on that, and then maybe you can have another brief stint in SVU a full decade later. One of Pisces' major weaknesses is their desire to escape reality, which can get them into trouble—for instance, when they sign up for a multi-year undercover operation, get into a relationship with a prostitute, get shot and almost die when their undercover status is exposed, and later on get accused of rape by a prostitute they met undercover years prior which causes them to get demoted. You know, just a totally random example. Find a healthy and less literal way to escape reality, Pisces/Cassidy.

  Read more: http://www.betches.com/what-law-and-order-svu-detective-you-are-based-on-your-horoscope

[cosmic-crow444]

Stranger Things Astrology

Characters signs in Stranger Things & Why

Eleven: Pisces Sun, Aquarius Moon

//Has the psychic sensitivity of a Pisces as well as the mysterious aura- yet has telekinesis powers that strike me as Aquarius as well as a deeply intense but detached emotional nature. Inquisitive as well sensitive.//

Micheal: Virgo Sun, Leo Moon

//Thinks quick on feet like a Mercury sign yet has tack as often seen in Virgos. Mostly stands to the side, yet has inner leadership qualities that could possibly correlated with a Leo moon. A quick thinker as well as naturally takes the leadership role within the group//

Dustin: Gemini Sun, Gemini Moon

// goofy like a Gemini, silly and adds a wonderful comedic component. Very witty and picks up trivia facts with ease as witness to his immense on hand knowledge of DnD.//

Lukas: Sagittarius Sun, Taurus Moon

// a Skeptic about paranormal, and sag is known to be skeptic about things they don’t believe in and Taurus gives a stubborn nature to beliefs. The Sag adds fire to his personality but a chill fire sign//

Will: Virgo Sun, Pisces Moon

// Nerdy like a Virgo sun lool, but has the imagination of a Pisces moon but the Virgo ability to bring it life. Plus, it takes a special (Pisces moon) person to navigate the shadow realm//

Jonathan: Scorpio Sun, Capricorn Moon

//A very dark and intense identity that iddriven by a need to find the truth. Emotions are hardened for the sake of family obligations yet has deep emotional entanglement with the ego.//

Joyce: Virgo Sun, Cancer Moon

//works hard and has the infamous Virgo anxiety, tries her hardest to provide for her family and can sometimes nag, but has the deeply sensitive Cancer nature as well connection to the supernatural, listens to her emotions and uses them to guide her discions even if their not the most practical to everyone else. //

Nancy: Libra Sun, Cancer Moon

//strikes me as very libra - even looks like a libra. Is very dainty, tries her hardest to maintain the perfect image, is considerate of others and is socially graceful. She can get narrow sighted by love. She shows her cancer in her very emotional nature, yet subtly hides it well. She’s secretive, as well as has direction, she seems very cardinal to me in nature. //

Karen: Cancer Sun, Libra Moon

//a concerned mom who strikes me as a well developed cancer- is emotionally aware. Has the Libra moon charm of talking sweetly. Never stays mad at her children long because she cares about their feelings more then hers, and doesn’t let her own feelings blindside her//

Steve: Leo Sun, Aries Moon

//is very firely but the kind of fire with little chill and probably some earth influence. His main identity is very, cocky and impulsive as well as physically driven, with affection and sports. Takes pride in his hair. He also posesses the Leo’s flirty charm and humor but has the Aries temper and overall is self centered//

Barbara: Aquarius Sun, Cancer Moon

// is low key like a Cancer moon as well as observant. Is emotional, but the Aquarius keeps it under control. The Aquarius energy rebels by being a nerd and out casting herself from the main cliches making her own way.//

Chief Hopper: Aries Sun, Virgo Moon

//badass like an Aries sun, as well as having an authority position as a police chief, which is pretty Aries. An obvious leader who can be a bit impulsive at times but always has his wits. He is extremely observant as a Virgo moon, hyperzoning in on details particularly well//